After the fall regime of Bashar al-Assad Syrian refugees return to their homes, unaware of the dangers lurking underground. According to UN estimates Syria is 1 of the most mined countries in the world. Roads, fields and residential areas are full of explosive remains, making it hard for millions of people to return safely.
Especially perfidious is that many mines have not been deployed by the military, but deliberately utilized to terrorize civilians. Improvised explosives are hidden in drawers, on playgrounds or in the front door. Since the fall of Assad, more than 1,000 people have died or been mutilated by land mines and unexploded. There is no nationally coordinated miner action.
They're expected to hurt, not kill.
Consequently, in June, the Syrian civilian Protection Organisation "White Helmets" requested the assistance of the Geneva Humanitarian Demining Centre (GICHD). On Saturday, a group of experts from Geneva arrived in Damascus to aid establish a national mine centre.
— Nobody knows precisely how much Syria is mined, notes Tobias Privitelli, manager of GICHD. The tasks of his staff will be to aid map the danger zones. The Centre is supported by 18 countries, the United Nations and respective private foundations, with Switzerland backing half of the budget of 20 million francs (91 million PLN). The creation of structures for professional removal of mines is simply a core competence of the organization. GICHD has already proven this in Ukraine.
The Geneva centre was supported by the government of Volodymyr Zelenski in creating a fresh antimine programme. Privitelli sits on the advisory board of the state Ukrainian mine centre. At least 135,000 sq mi of Ukraine is mined with Russian mines and another explosives — over 3 times the surface of Switzerland.
Anti-personnel mines are peculiarly cruel: they are meant to hurt enemies, not kill — to concentrate resources and slow down the attack. But most victims are civilians. In 2024, over 1 3rd of mine victims were children, and 85 percent were civilians. so The 1997 Ottawa Convention prohibits the usage of anti-personnel mines. 166 countries are signatories to this agreement.
Good-Time Policy
However, this ban is losing its meaning: Russia, the United States and China have never signed it. Ukraine besides refuses to comply with it. “ Land mines are frequently an indispensable means of defending the country,” Zelenski late said. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Finland have already announced that in the face of the threat from Moscow they will re-use anti-personnel mines. . There's talk of a giant NATO mine belt.
— The Ottawa Convention is unfortunately a policy for good times — everyone is against mines until they themselves are threatened, says Hansjorg Eberle, CEO of Fondation suisse de déminage (FSD). The Swiss foundation is 1 of the leading organisations in the planet in the field of mine-mining. It operates in Ukraine, where it conducts education on threats, provides demining vehicles and sends peculiar teams that search for debris in search of ammunition residues. The Swiss government supports the FSD in this respect with a full of 40 million francs (182 million zł) by 2027.
Ukriform/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Imagesinvestigating demining equipment in the Lviv Oblast in Ukraine, 25 June 2025.
FSD experts are besides ready to act in Syria, but are forced to wait. “ Within 3 months, we can train 200 to 300 locals to mine the land, ” Eberle says. However, the unstable situation under the fresh authorities is presently deterring many donors.
Needs increase, support decreases
However, the financial difficulties do not concern only Syria. The interest in demining decreases despite increasing needs. There's a regulation everywhere: safety against disarmament. “There is money for Ukraine, but frequently at the expense of another regions,” Eberle says. The U.S. withdrawal has peculiarly dramatic consequences.
Until the second word of Trump, the United States was the largest donor for humane demining, but since February They've drastically reduced resources. France, Italy and the United Kingdom have besides reduced their support. safety concerns are now at the forefront. The FSD lost a 3rd of its budget. “We had to retreat from Afghanistan and fire 170 local bomb squads,” Eberle says.
The heavy mined regions are neglected, specified as the mediate East with Afghanistan and Iraq, Cambodia, West Africa or the Sahel region. Tobias Privitelli of the Geneva Mines Center besides senses the decreasing readiness to finance projects — especially in Africa. Nevertheless, the trend is not only negative: 50 million anti-personnel mines were destroyed through the Ottawa Convention. Although the number of victims is rising again, it was even higher in the 1990s.
The Swiss abroad Ministry underlines the importance of humanitarian engagement: without demining, there is no reconstruction. Switzerland regrets the withdrawal of certain countries from the Ottawa Convention and encourages them to change their position.
In 2024. Switzerland has invested 44 million francs (more than PLN 200 million) in mine-mining, which ranks it among the 10 largest donors in the world. In 2024, 16 countries, including Syria, benefited from Switzerland's involvement. There, Swiss experts conducted information activities on threats and assistance to victims.
